Mohamed Salah Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Liverpool Star

The Egypt winger asked to be substituted before March’s international break.

Mohamed Salah missed Liverpool’s defeat to Brighton in March. | Yagiz Gurtug/NurPhoto/Getty Images

After sitting out Liverpool’s final fixture before the March international break, a new report claims that the Reds are “hopeful” of welcoming Mohamed Salah back for Saturday’s almighty FA Cup quarterfinal away to Manchester City.

Salah asked to be substituted during the second half of the Champions League victory over Galatasaray in the middle of March, sparking swift concerns which Arne Slot validated in his subsequent press conference.

The Liverpool boss preemptively ruled his veteran forward out of the Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion and has been coy about his return date in public. However, there is now a more optimistic tone surrounding a club legend who is working his way through his final few months on Merseyside.

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What Injury Does Salah Have?

Salah managed 74 minutes against Galatasaray. | MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The exact nature of Salah’s injury has not been clarified, but it is a muscular issue which forced him to request an exit and head straight down the tunnel last time out.

Admitting it was “unusual” to see Salah walk off injured, Slot revealed ahead of the trip to Brighton: “As a result of that I think you can expect the outcome. So, [he’s] not available for tomorrow.”

"The good thing for Liverpool and for us is that we go to an international break,” Slot continued. “The bad thing for Egypt is that he can’t go there.”

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When Will Salah Return From Injury?

Arne Slot will want Salah back as soon as possible. | Molly Darlington/Getty Images

While Salah’s issue is not thought to be particularly serious, he is still expected to need a handful of weeks on the sidelines to recover.

“We are hoping also with what Mo has shown in the past, that he can recover faster than other players might in similar situations because he takes such good care of his body,” Slot continued. “History has shown that he can be earlier back than some others.

“But it’s only two weeks when we go again so let’s hope in that period of time he can be back.”

There is no denying the boost that came with the timing of the international break, giving Salah two weeks to focus solely on his wellbeing to recover from his injury. The Guardian report that Liverpool’s perennial top scorer could feature in some capacity for the trip to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime ahead of a defining set of fixtures.

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What Matches Could Salah Miss Through Injury?

Salah’s injury leave Arne Slot food for thought. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Thanks to his superhuman recovery abilities, there is a very real chance that the March clash with Brighton remains the only game which Salah misses due to injury. At this crucial time of the season, Slot will need his talented right winger.

April 4 brings a trip to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals, before Liverpool travel to Paris for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinals against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain four days later.

Salah may not have been at the peak of his powers this season—10 goals in 34 games is well below his usual standards—but he has enjoyed a major upturn in form since the turn of the calendar year, racking up five goals and five assists in his 14 games in 2026.

Slot will want Salah available for such a crucial run of games and faces a nervous wait to see whether the veteran forward can conjure up another miraculous recovery.

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Liverpool’s Fixtures in the Next Month

Date	Opponent	Competition
Saturday, March 21	Brighton	Premier League
Saturday, April 4	Man City	FA Cup
Wednesday, April 8	PSG	Champions League
Saturday, April 11	Fulham	Premier League
Tuesday, April 14	PSG	Champions League
Sunday, April 19	Everton	Premier League

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